Tagged With "Switzerland"
Comment
Re: Where do the "permanent travelers" go?
I have one friend who's a permanent traveler. While he spends time in a variety of places, his preference is Asia, with Thailand at the top of his list. Chiang Mai is where we met and in nearby villages is where he spends the majority of his time. He has a private income so work has nothing to do with his choice. I'd be interested to see how the results of the survey would change if that element was removed from the equation. And how it would change if broken down by age group. Also, how...
Comment
Re: Europe's cost-of-living has wide range
There are websites devoted to helping people sort out the possibilities worldwide. This is one I've found useful: http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings.jsp
Comment
Re: Hole-y cow! Swiss cheese 3000 years old?
3,000 years old? ? Would that make it extra mature or vintage ?
Blog Post
Where do the "permanent travelers" go?
Expat Insder, a curious publication of Internations.org, surveyed 14,000 expats in 160 countries for their views on where they have found happiness, a safe comfortable life, affordable living, etc. Surprise! Only three European countries...
Blog Post
Happy No-Border Birthday! Schengen celebrates 20 years
Thirty years ago it was signed, and 20 years ago today it went into effect: The European agreement that wiped out land borders for travelers throughout most of Europe, and also had the side effect of making a tiny town in Luxembourg into a world...
Blog Post
Why Zurich Is The Place To Be In Summer
Roger T makes an excellent case why Zurich (especially during its short but beautiful summer) should be on your travel list!
Blog Post
August 16, 2017: Davos, Switzerland
For today's Pic of the Day, George G shares some scenes from beautiful Davos, Switzerland.
Blog Post
Spring cleaning in Switzerland: when the snow melts...
Spring cleaning in the Swiss Alps is a little different from airing out the bedding and mopping the floors. When the snow melts in the spring, everything left behind over the winter comes to the surface in a sometimes disgusting display. Since...
Blog Post
Blue-light bandits in Geneva hit tourists and UN
Geneva's real police use a variety of vehicles Photo: Krokodyl / Wikimedia The United Nations, which has a variety of agencies headquartered in Geneva, warned its staff last week that fake cops have been ripping off...
Blog Post
"Swiss Siberia" hits 0° while Europe bakes
Most of Europe has been experiencing a heatwave so far this summer, with sustained temperatures in the high 90s(F, high 30s C), causing discomfort and health issues across the continent. And yet, one village in Switzerland closed out August by falling...
Blog Post
Lausanne gets 2020 Winter Youth Olympics
Ice hockey at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics, Innsbruck Photo: Rolf Roletschek / Wikimedia The Winter Youth Oympics—a relative youth itself, since the first was only held in 2012—will hold its 2020 games in...
Blog Post
Europe's cost-of-living has wide range
Gorgeous groceries...but can you afford them? Photo: Lyzadanger / Wikimedia Travelers planning vacations in Europe quickly become aware that some countries are more expensive than others; plenty of us have suffered sticker shock...
Blog Post
Glimpses of Basel
When you visit a city for the first time—especially if it's just a short stop—you can't do much more than grab a quick general view, and promise yourself to return. It's sort of like the New York Times' "36 Hours In..." series, and...
Blog Post
Gumbo's Pic of the Day, Aug. 13, 2014: A Bronze Market in Basel
Artistic taste, perhaps, but not very tasty! These kids are admiring a market table of fruits and vegetables...all cast in bronze! We ran into this in the cloister garden of the Basel Munster (cathedral). So far, all I have found in explanation is...
Blog Post
Photo Gallery: Basel's Daily Market
On our recent stopover in Basel, we visited the daily market that's taken place in front of the city's Rathaus, or town hall, for centuries. Unlike the weekly markets that are everywhere, this one is there every day, and bigger on weekends. The...
Blog Post
Robots on the Road to deliver Swiss packages
The Swiss postal service is trying out rolling robots that can deliver parcels within about a 5km radius of home.
Blog Post
Swiss forests threatened by...kiwi fruit!
Valued for its fruit, the plant that gives us kiwi fruit can also damage young forest growth when it gets out of hand.
Blog Post
March 4, 2017: Neuchatel, Switzerland
George G shares some images and memories of Neuchatel, a Canton and city in Switzerland.
Blog Post
Swiss offer Fasnacht carnival as UNESCO heritage
Basel's annual pre-Lent carnival, yodeling and a wine festival have all been nominated by Switzerland as UNESCO intangible cultural heritages.
Blog Post
Hole-y cow! Swiss cheese 3000 years old?
British archaeologists have found evidence that cheese-making in the high Alpine regions may date back to the Iron Age, 3000 years ago.
Blog Post
Swiss warning: Beware of killer cows
An area of Switzerland popular with hikers and bikers is installing fences and warning signs to keep them safe from aggressive cows protecting calves.
Blog Post
Switzerland tries new buses with no drivers
If Google's self-driving cars seem a bit futuristic (even if one got pulled over by a cop for going too slow), consider this: starting next spring, Switzerland will actually put passengers on driverless buses for a two-year test. The buses will...
Blog Post
World's longest tunnel will speed Alpine trains
Switzerland is about to open the new St. Gotthard Base Tunnel, 35 miles long and as much as 7500 feet deep to speed up rail traffic through the Alps.
Blog Post
Fountain of wine in Swiss capital
Bern, Switzerland's "boring" capital will add a little spice today with a fountain flowing with wine to celebrate its 1848 choice as the capital.
Blog Post
In spring, a young cow's fancy turns to...
A popular Youtube video posted last week shows cows literally jumping for joy as they are released into pasture after an indoor winter.
Blog Post
Sept. 5, 2018: Fireplug, Switzerland
George G shares an unusual Swiss fire hydrant in today's Pic of the Day.
Comment
Re: Happy No-Border Birthday! Schengen celebrates 20 years
I don't share the nostalgia for border crossings, having experienced some of the worst crossings in the world in the late 80's And while Schengen said it wiped out land borders for travelers throughout most of Europe, I've still experienced controls in those countries . On one such occasion ,I took a bus from Brussels to Paris and the bus was stopped twice in France. ID was checked and people questioned. Even bags were inspected for people from Romania and Bulgaria.
Comment
Re: Happy No-Border Birthday! Schengen celebrates 20 years
Interesting, given the history of prejudice against Romany, that those countries were singled out. At the time they were not yet Schengen members, either, although they are now in the process of joining, leaving only Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland and UK out among EU members. The non-EU members of Schengen are Norway, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Iceland.
Comment
Re: Happy No-Border Birthday! Schengen celebrates 20 years
From a historic perspective, I think it's still a little early to know if this was all good for Europe or not. The border crossings are definitely easier and faster, and I, too, miss the passport stamps no longer on my pages. For me the greatest convenience is the common currency -- not having to change money so often, usually at a loss. Of course, some would argue that the Euro is the greatest weakness of the EU (will it survive?), so I'm not sure in the long run how this will all play out.
Comment
Re: Happy No-Border Birthday! Schengen celebrates 20 years
Another part of the agreement is of interest to US travelers. We can only spend 90 days in the Schengen country for every 180 day period,without having to contend with Visas . I haven't heard too much about the consequences of overstaying the 90 days ,until I saw this comment online about getting a $500 fine for overstaying. http://www.latimes.com/travel/...-20150405-story.html More info on the 90/180 day rule http://www.latimes.com/travel/...20150329-story.html#
Comment
Re: Robots on the Road to deliver Swiss packages
I wonder if the robots have been trained to yodel?
Comment
Re: Why Zurich Is The Place To Be In Summer
Been to Zurich one time in the Spring and enjoyed the pedestrian zone and eating at an outdoor table with no traffic or fumes. Switzerland was my favorite country destination, especially Lucerne and Grindelwald. My wife Diane liked the Alpine region of Austria the best.